New Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba poses for photos in the chair of the party president at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Sept. 27, 2024. (Kyodo)  

TOKYO - Ex-Defense Minister and veteran lawmaker Shigeru Ishiba, widely seen as a lone wolf with a stubborn streak, won the presidency of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party in his fifth bid for the party leadership, becoming the prime minister.

The 67-year-old is known for his expertise on defense and security affairs, though also for what some consider his geeky enthusiasm in his personal interests and hobbies, and was one of the public's favorites to be prime minister in media polls.

Shigeru Ishiba, as director general of the now-defunct Defense Agency, puts a question to an officer during a short inspection tour of a People's Liberation Army unit in Beijing in September 2003. (Kyodo)

In the LDP, however, some have expressed concerns over his lack of enthusiasm for making allies in the party.

Ishiba is "not good at taking care of others," a senior LDP lawmaker said.

Ishiba left the LDP in 1993 after declaring the need for political reform. Although he rejoined in 1997, some party members resented his defection.

He created his own faction within the party in 2015, but it later ceased to exist with a wave of exits by members.

The 12th term House of Representatives member holds in great esteem a motto of former Deputy Prime Minister Michio Watanabe, who called for "Telling the truth with bravery and sincerity." Ishiba's own motto refers to how powerful birds, such as hawks and eagles, tend not to flock together.

Shigeru Ishiba holds a news conference in a parliamentary building in Tokyo in December 1993 after leaving the Liberal Democratic Party. (Kyodo)

In 2007, he gained attention for giving serious answers as defense minister regarding hypothetical attacks by Godzilla or visitations by UFOs.

"There is no concrete evidence that they don't exist. We must consider a myriad of possibilities," he told a press conference, noting that it would be difficult to determine whether a UFO visitation should be designated as an airspace violation as the object would technically not be an aircraft from another country.

Ishiba also juggles many hobbies from making plastic military models to cooking, and has boasted about his curries. He is a massive fan of the 1970s girl group "Candies," with an ability to sing their songs by heart when at karaoke.

A bronze statue of Godzilla in Tokyo's Hibiya district in December 1995. (Kyodo)
The popular girl group Candies hold a farewell stage performance at a baseball stadium in Tokyo in April 1978. (Kyodo)
Shigeru Ishiba serves curry at a food stand set up at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo in March 2013. (Kyodo)

He enjoys eating and reading alone, once admitting to cutting back on sleep to read, and lists Japanese novelists Soseki Natsume and Ogai Mori as two of his favorite authors. He has also taken sleeper trains to return to his constituency in Tottori Prefecture due to his love of railways.

Shigeru Ishiba makes an appearance inside a chartered train during a train-themed singles party held between Shinagawa and Kamakura stations on JR East's Yokosuka Line in December 2014. He was then state minister in charge of regional revitalization. (Kyodo)

Ishiba additionally serves as the head of an intraparty ramen society.

Shigeru Ishiba enjoys a bowl of ramen in Tokyo's Sendagaya area in May 2024 with fellow members of a parliamentarian league set up within the Liberal Democratic Party to promote ramen culture. (Kyodo)  
Shigeru Ishiba eats a slice of peach during an event in Tokyo in August 2013 aimed at promoting the safety of farm products from Fukushima Prefecture, following the 2011 nuclear disaster triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami. Ishiba was then secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. (Kyodo)  

The son of a former Tottori governor, Ishiba graduated from Keio University and worked as a banker before winning a seat in the House of Representatives in 1986 at the age of 29 on advice from the late former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, who he calls his "teacher of politics."

In the 2012 LDP presidential race, he lost to the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the runoff, despite winning the first round of voting, later making his presence felt by openly criticizing the former leader.

Shigeru Ishiba (2nd from R), Shinzo Abe (far R) and three other contenders in the 2012 Liberal Democratic Party leadership race place their hands on top of each other ahead of a joint news conference at the party headquarters in September 2012. (Kyodo)  

Ishiba has stressed the importance of regional revitalization, and takes pride as someone who has "walked the countryside and knows the countryside more than anyone."

Shigeru Ishiba reacts to applause from fellow members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sept. 7, 2024, after winning the leadership contest. (Kyodo)  

"We hope that he will make use of his experience and exercise leadership," said Yamagata Gov. Mieko Yoshimura. "We would like him to actively promote policies that will give hope and vitality to rural areas."